The present invention relates in general to infant cribs and in particular to a new and useful mattress support and drop side lock for such cribs.
Cribs for growing infants generally include an adjustable mattress support which can position a mattress at a variety of vertical locations within the crib frame. Know mattress supports utilize four vertical brackets which have hooks or openings at spaced vertical locations which are meant to engage generally L-shaped bails. The bails are connected to a spring or other mattress carrying member. A suitable mattress is provided over the carrying member. U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,514 to Feldstein shows vertical mattress supports which include openings for receiving L-shaped bails which are mean to support a mattress.
The use of L-shaped bails or similar members requires that, when adjusting the height of a mattress, each bail must be moved separately from one location to another on the four vertical brackets. Another problem is that the bail are not positively connected to the vertical brackets in that they simply rest on hooks or in openings of the brackets. A dangerous condition thus exists. A normally active child for example, by jumping in the crib, may cause the mattress carrying support to jump, thus dislodging one or more of the bails from the vertical brackets.
Cribs which include drop sides or gates are also well known. Mechanisms must be provided for locking the drop sides of cribs in their respective raised or lowered positions. Since infants are involved, extra safety precautions must also be taken to ensure that the drop side, once locked in its raised position, will not inadvertently become unlocked and thus accidentally fall. To preclude such inadvertent unlocking, the use of double action mechanisms are highly desirable. Legislation has even been proposed for mandating such double action mechanisms in all infant related products.
A double action securing mechanism for the drop side of a crib has already been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,514 to Feldstein. In this Patent, T-shaped guides are connected to the frame members of a crib. Slides connected to the drop side of the crib are slidable mounted to the guides. A knob with an internal helical surface is mated with a post having an external helical surface connected to the slide. A pin with a head member is connected to the knob and axially movable into a key hole shaped opening in the guide, disposed at desired upper and lower positions for the drop sides. Rotation of the knob with the head extending into the key hole opening causes firm engagement of the head against an interior surface of the guide to firmly lock the slide with respect to the guide.
While this structure is effective in establishing a double action locking engagement between the drop side and the crib frame, improvements can be made toward simplifying the arrangement and increasing its durability and ease of operation.
A double action securing device for the drop side of a crib which utilizes a catch pin have a head defining a recess which is engageable in the opening of a guide member is known from the present inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,528 entitled DOUBLE ACTION CRIB DROP SIDE LOCK, issued July 23, 1985. In this patent the pin recess drops over a lower edge of the opening under the weight of a slide member and connected structure to which the pin is mounted. A double action requirement for unlocking the device is thus automatically established in that the slide member must first be raised with respect to the guide member and catch pin then axially withdrawn from the guide opening before the mechanism is disengaged. The guide member is connected either to the crib frame or to the drop side, with the slide member and its related parts connected to the drop side or crib frame respectively.